5 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Winter

Cold weather, ice and snow can do real damage to your home if you don’t take the time to prepare it before winter arrives. These five tips will help winterize your home and make it more comfortable.

Insulate windows. Reducing drafts can lower your home’s energy costs by up to 20% per year. Some inexpensive items you can get at the hardware store are V-seal weatherstripping to use along window sashes, rope caulk, shrink film and draft stoppers.

Trim tree branches. Any tree limbs or branches hanging over your home should be cut back to at least 3 feet away from your house.

Inspect and repair the fireplace. In addition to your own visual inspection, you may want to have a chimney sweep or other expert inspect your chimney, inside and out. Check that the roof flashing is tight against the chimney.

Check and repair the roof. Do a visual inspection from the ground with binoculars, or hire a roof inspector. Check for cracked caulk or rust spots on flashing; shingles that are buckling, curling, blistering, missing or broken; cracked rubber boots around vent pipes; and masses of moss and lichen, which may indicate the roof is decaying underneath.

Clear out and repair gutters and downspouts. Clogged rain gutters or downspouts can damage your home’s foundation or cause ice dams. Also make sure the gutters aren’t sagging and trapping water, and tighten gutter hangers and downspout brackets.